So I apologize in advance if anyone's been getting sick of all the Broadway talk lately, but it's brought back a great memory from high school.
My senior year we did Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat . . . probably better known as just Joseph because holy crap talk about a mouthful of a name! Anyway, it was a huge production with a cast of thousands . . . or, well, dozens at least. Of girls. There were barely enough guys to cover all the male roles - in fact, the guy who played Potiphar also played Reuben, and I don't quite remember but I think Pharaoh might have also played a brother.
Anyway. I was on the tech crew for this particular production, and my assignment ended up being Czarina of the Glitter Girls. Of course, that's not how it was assigned to me per se . . . the five of us chose our own titles and group name because they sounded fun. Put prosaically we spent the show at the very top of the auditorium - the precarious position quite a long ways up . . . at least 100 feet, maybe more . . . sitting on metal grating amid tops of the pulley systems for the curtains and flying sets and such. And we dropped sparkly confetti on the stage at a few points in the production.
It was a unique perspective to watch the show from - the tops of their heads. Very interesting. We had fun with it. And while we mostly did watch quietly, it was also quite unique the way we could chat pretty much all we wanted to as long as we didn't miss our cues, which were kind of hard to miss.
Those of you familiar with Joseph will no doubt recall that in the song "Grovel, Grovel" there is a line ("jail us and beat us we should be blamed") where the guys who sing bass hit a pretty low note. And since every girl involved in the show had a healthy appreciation for a guy who can sing you could almost feel the inaudible sigh from all of us every time that particular line was sung. In fact the girl in charge of the volume for the mikes worn by cast members would nudge up the volume on the two guys singing bass just for that note. We all appreciated it. :-)
Now one of these bass-singing guys was a very cute senior whom quite a few of us girls had a crush on. He, and the rest of the boys playing Joseph's brothers, sang that song on their knees, occasionally bowing down to, you know, grovel, before Pharaoh. Take a moment to remind yourself of where we Glitter Girls were watching the show from. Yeah. :-) Suffice it to say that we always paid attention to this part of the show. And some of those guys had really cute butts. And we'd get all giggly enjoying ourselves as we watched.
So finally closing night came and somehow one of us had what we all thought to be a brilliant idea - why not take a picture of our view of "Grovel, Grovel" just for fun? The stage was well lit at that point in the show, so surely we wouldn't have to worry about the flash. So my best friend Kim brought a disposable camera closing night and while we took other pictures, that was the one it was there for. My spot happened to be directly above our groveling bass-boy (not deliberate, I swear! We didn't know much about the staging when we decided where we would be, we just spread out to cover the entire stage.) so Kim handed me the camera and at the appropriate time I pointed it straight down and snapped.
The stage was well lit, but we forgot to account for the several dozen or more feet of pitch blackness between where we were and the bright lights of the stage. *FLASH!* went the camera, and we found ourselves blinded for what felt like forever. We were a little panicked, certain everyone had seen that flash of light and that we would get in sooooooooooo much trouble at the end of the show. Thankfully (and quite logically, thinking back on it now) we found out later that no one saw a thing. Which is really great considering I was so surprised by the flash that I nearly dropped the camera. That might have been . . . well . . . maybe . . . slightly noticeable. You know, this sudden, random object plummeting from nowhere and shattering on the stage. Or potentially killing somebody as it hit their head. We were melodramatic in envisioning what might have almost possibly happened.
But the show went on and sadly ended just a little later. It's always a little heartbreaking to have a show end . . . they're SO much fun while they last. (side note: the Old Barn community theatre is doing Into the Woods this summer . . . and I found out about auditions this week . . . the day AFTER they took place. GAH!!!) For curtain call we used up the extra confetti we had - and there was a lot more than we'd been expecting because while we had decided to save some specifically for the closing curtain, we hadn't exactly used it sparingly during the other performances. But there was tons left over. So much so that while we started with a small trickle of glitter and as more and more people took their bows we shook it out faster, and by the time the cast got to the end of the whole bowing thing they told us later that they couldn't even see the audience the confetti was so thick. That was kind of awesome.
Life went on, a little bit empty for a while as we all looked for things to fill the time that Joseph had been taking up. Kim got the pictures back, and in one you could kind-of-sort-of-almost make out a couple of rear ends. Vaguely. A little. To this day "grovel, grovel *FLASH*" is a joke we'll occasionally bring up to each other. Good times. I'm one of the lucky ones in the fact that high school was mostly a good time for me, mostly pleasant memories. Talk about living those songs again - I'd go back for a few weeks to live this show again. It was pretty awesome.
P. ost S. cript
In honor of two years ago yesterday, when I had Luke convinced for about 15 minutes that not only was he giving a speech at our reception, but that he had already agreed to do it and had apparently forgotten, behold: something that made us both laugh yesterday.
Showing posts with label Broadway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Broadway. Show all posts
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sob Story
You know you're bored when you go through almost two years of blogs adding labels because you're tired of having to hunt through them when you want to look for something specific.
Anyway.
So you may have figured out that I'm kind of into Broadway show tunes. A little bit. If, you know, by a little bit you mean "so massively it's probably a little ridiculous." It all started with Les Miserables.
I'd heard of it before, but I didn't really "discover" Les Mis until ninth grade, in French class. We watched a non-musical movie version (I would assume the most recent one, but I really don't know) in class, and the teacher also played a little bit of the soundtrack once or twice. I don't know what it was, but something just clicked for me and I kind of went into an "OhMyGoshLESMIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" mode for a while - so much so that the second cd I acquired was the Broadway Highlights soundtrack as a birthday present. Or maybe Christmas. Whatever. All I had to play it with was a slightly crappy walkman with either headphones or these tiny little speakers, but I finally had my own room so I spent a lot of time with the door shut and the music blasting. Well . . . as blasting as it got with speakers smaller than my fist.
I've had a bit of an obsession with Les Mis ever since, and my . . . I don't know, sister-obsession I guess . . . with show tunes in general grew out of it. (And out of my participation in the drama department in high school. But that is a story for another day.) It became a dream of mine to see Les Mis on Broadway - those of you who have been reading for a loooooooooooooooong while may - but probably do not - remember that I was absolutely devastated when it closed about six years ago.
My dad didn't get why. For my 17th birthday my parents gave me a copy of the novel - unabridged, of course - and tickets to the touring show in Salt Lake . . . which didn't actually get to Salt Lake until almost a year later, but it was great having something to look forward to for so long. I read the book (1488 pages) in a week. It had been a long time since I'd carried a book around with me and read at every spare moment . . . and some that weren't so spare . . . like during class . . . not just empty moments . . . but while teaching was going on too. Probably didn't help my already dismal honors chem grade, but I really probably shouldn't have taken honors chem in the first place. And I read the WHOLE THING in SEVEN DAYS. I still rank that among my most impressive achievements.
The show, to put it epically simply, was amazing. I was spellbound and breathless from the moment the first notes of the overture sounded. I loved it. I used every ounce of my daddy's-little-girl-powers to wheedle a souvenir keychain out of my dad, because guess what? They sell souvenirs at Broadway shows! Who knew?!? Well, I didn't, at the time. Anyway, it was beautiful, it was fabulous, it was stunning, it was wonderful . . . there just aren't enough adjectives to describe how I felt about the show. Also: I may have tried to wheedle more tickets to go again the next night. Or every remaining performance. Yeah, that kinda didn't happen. And a few years later when the show closed on Broadway and I was upset my dad was all "you've already seen it," which I found exasperating. I don't think he got it when I told him it wasn't the same.
Moving on, I picked up the original London Soundtrack somewhere along the line in college, but I have yet to add the original Broadway Soundtrack to my collection, which is a little sad because they did some rewriting when they brought it across the pond, and I rather prefer the Broadway versions better . . . particularly "On My Own" and "Stars."
So. To finally start to come to the point. Les Mis originally opened in 1985. Making last year the 25th anniversary. And they did a one-night-only concert performance in London. And filmed it. And it's amazing. And they've been playing it on K-notBYU . . . the other one, whatever it's called . . . a ton lately because they just had their pledge drive. (side note: while I generally like the programming on public television, the only time they show stuff I'm truly excited to watch is during the pledge drives. Case in point: they play Anne of Green Gables EVERY time, but that's the only time they show it. Ever!) So I've watched it, like, 4 or 5 times. In the last week.
Let me get something straight right now - I'm not really much of a cryer, generally speaking. Almost never happens. That said, this is music that is just plain moving. I can't imagine anyone listening to it - really listening - and not feeling a little emotional. So it has always (especially after seeing the show) been able to draw out a few tears when I listen to it. I hadn't listened to it in ages, so watching it this week, remembering, brought back all sorts of emotions. All sorts of memories from high school, college, and even Florida. I loved it. I cried all the way through. (And I added the dvd to my amazon wish list.) At the end they brought out the original cast, which was AWESOME and did three encores, and those three songs are currently my three favorites. (I can never pick my favorite anything . . . they all change all the time. Except my favorite color. That's been blue for years. And you were all dying to know.)
Anyway, by the end of the last encore I'm all reduced to this sobbing little puddle who's spent the last four hours (because of the annoying pledge drive interruptions) shuddering with thrills and chills from the beauty of the music and the story. Crying hard enough to give myself a massive headache. So massive, in fact, that even though I went to bed shortly thereafter I could not manage to sleep it off. Which left me having to go to work with a headache, feeling emotional enough that if I didn't know better I'd think I was pregnant, and slightly red eyes . . . in other words, I'm pretty sure I've more or less had a hangover for the last week. Good times.
And for those of you who've seen me and (hopefully) had no idea, all I can say is Disney trains you well in the whole "the show must go on" thing. Seriously, you can be on break and discover that your life has turned into a really bad country song (your dog died, your mom died, your girlfriend left and took the house . . . literally . . . your lunch got stolen, your car got keyed, and to top it all off it's started raining, you work outside, you forgot your rain jacket and your shoes have holes so your feet will be soaked two seconds after you go back out) but you go out and as soon as you're somewhere that people can see you, it's automatic - you slap on a great big smile and act all excited because isn't today just the greatest day EVER?! That kind of mouse-washing sticks with you. But yeah, I've been totally faking it. Migraine city. Although I can't say I'd change anything, if it meant I had to not watch.
I do have one small complaint . . . okay, rant. *ahem*
NICK JONAS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! NICK FREAKING JONAS AS MARIUS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! JUST WHO'S TERRIBLE IDEA FOR CRAPPY STUNT CASTING WAS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUST . . . NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, don't get me wrong. The guy can sing. He does not have a terrible voice. But he also does not have a Broadway caliber voice. His boy band days have not been sufficient preparation to fill the shoes of the likes of Michael Ball. Not to mention he sticks out like a sore thumb. With everyone else, even if you know who they are the actor gets lost behind the part they play. It's Jean Valjean, played by Alfie Boe, Fantine, sung by Lea Salonga, for example. But no, this is a freaking JoBro attempting to play the part of Marius. Again - NO!
*sigh* Luke's heard that rant before, and he'll hear it again (especially if he insists on continuing to try to defend said poser JoBro). But I feel a bit better now.
The touring show is coming back to Salt Lake in May - another perfect birthday present. I'm literally aching to go. Dying to go. Brought up the idea repeatedly since discovering it was coming back in September when we went to Lion King. Of course, I'm sure tickets are long gone by now. But it's a little bit heartbreaking to know it's here - and for my birthday too! - and we're not going to able to go. Someday we will attend the theatre more often . . . yearly, maybe even more. But although things are much better than they were for us a couple of years ago, we are not to that point yet. So if get the impression that I'm in mourning during pretty much the entire month of May . . . yeah, I kind of am.
But hopefully I won't also be hungover.
P. ost S. cript
One of the encores from the concert - the original Valjean, the two currently playing him in London and New York, and the one who played him in the concert itself. Talk about chills . . . I don't think I breathed at all the first time I heard this! I won't ask for such an extreme reaction, but the person who is not moved by this song and especially this version - that person has no soul.
Anyway.
So you may have figured out that I'm kind of into Broadway show tunes. A little bit. If, you know, by a little bit you mean "so massively it's probably a little ridiculous." It all started with Les Miserables.
I'd heard of it before, but I didn't really "discover" Les Mis until ninth grade, in French class. We watched a non-musical movie version (I would assume the most recent one, but I really don't know) in class, and the teacher also played a little bit of the soundtrack once or twice. I don't know what it was, but something just clicked for me and I kind of went into an "OhMyGoshLESMIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" mode for a while - so much so that the second cd I acquired was the Broadway Highlights soundtrack as a birthday present. Or maybe Christmas. Whatever. All I had to play it with was a slightly crappy walkman with either headphones or these tiny little speakers, but I finally had my own room so I spent a lot of time with the door shut and the music blasting. Well . . . as blasting as it got with speakers smaller than my fist.
I've had a bit of an obsession with Les Mis ever since, and my . . . I don't know, sister-obsession I guess . . . with show tunes in general grew out of it. (And out of my participation in the drama department in high school. But that is a story for another day.) It became a dream of mine to see Les Mis on Broadway - those of you who have been reading for a loooooooooooooooong while may - but probably do not - remember that I was absolutely devastated when it closed about six years ago.
My dad didn't get why. For my 17th birthday my parents gave me a copy of the novel - unabridged, of course - and tickets to the touring show in Salt Lake . . . which didn't actually get to Salt Lake until almost a year later, but it was great having something to look forward to for so long. I read the book (1488 pages) in a week. It had been a long time since I'd carried a book around with me and read at every spare moment . . . and some that weren't so spare . . . like during class . . . not just empty moments . . . but while teaching was going on too. Probably didn't help my already dismal honors chem grade, but I really probably shouldn't have taken honors chem in the first place. And I read the WHOLE THING in SEVEN DAYS. I still rank that among my most impressive achievements.
The show, to put it epically simply, was amazing. I was spellbound and breathless from the moment the first notes of the overture sounded. I loved it. I used every ounce of my daddy's-little-girl-powers to wheedle a souvenir keychain out of my dad, because guess what? They sell souvenirs at Broadway shows! Who knew?!? Well, I didn't, at the time. Anyway, it was beautiful, it was fabulous, it was stunning, it was wonderful . . . there just aren't enough adjectives to describe how I felt about the show. Also: I may have tried to wheedle more tickets to go again the next night. Or every remaining performance. Yeah, that kinda didn't happen. And a few years later when the show closed on Broadway and I was upset my dad was all "you've already seen it," which I found exasperating. I don't think he got it when I told him it wasn't the same.
Moving on, I picked up the original London Soundtrack somewhere along the line in college, but I have yet to add the original Broadway Soundtrack to my collection, which is a little sad because they did some rewriting when they brought it across the pond, and I rather prefer the Broadway versions better . . . particularly "On My Own" and "Stars."
So. To finally start to come to the point. Les Mis originally opened in 1985. Making last year the 25th anniversary. And they did a one-night-only concert performance in London. And filmed it. And it's amazing. And they've been playing it on K-notBYU . . . the other one, whatever it's called . . . a ton lately because they just had their pledge drive. (side note: while I generally like the programming on public television, the only time they show stuff I'm truly excited to watch is during the pledge drives. Case in point: they play Anne of Green Gables EVERY time, but that's the only time they show it. Ever!) So I've watched it, like, 4 or 5 times. In the last week.
Let me get something straight right now - I'm not really much of a cryer, generally speaking. Almost never happens. That said, this is music that is just plain moving. I can't imagine anyone listening to it - really listening - and not feeling a little emotional. So it has always (especially after seeing the show) been able to draw out a few tears when I listen to it. I hadn't listened to it in ages, so watching it this week, remembering, brought back all sorts of emotions. All sorts of memories from high school, college, and even Florida. I loved it. I cried all the way through. (And I added the dvd to my amazon wish list.) At the end they brought out the original cast, which was AWESOME and did three encores, and those three songs are currently my three favorites. (I can never pick my favorite anything . . . they all change all the time. Except my favorite color. That's been blue for years. And you were all dying to know.)
Anyway, by the end of the last encore I'm all reduced to this sobbing little puddle who's spent the last four hours (because of the annoying pledge drive interruptions) shuddering with thrills and chills from the beauty of the music and the story. Crying hard enough to give myself a massive headache. So massive, in fact, that even though I went to bed shortly thereafter I could not manage to sleep it off. Which left me having to go to work with a headache, feeling emotional enough that if I didn't know better I'd think I was pregnant, and slightly red eyes . . . in other words, I'm pretty sure I've more or less had a hangover for the last week. Good times.
And for those of you who've seen me and (hopefully) had no idea, all I can say is Disney trains you well in the whole "the show must go on" thing. Seriously, you can be on break and discover that your life has turned into a really bad country song (your dog died, your mom died, your girlfriend left and took the house . . . literally . . . your lunch got stolen, your car got keyed, and to top it all off it's started raining, you work outside, you forgot your rain jacket and your shoes have holes so your feet will be soaked two seconds after you go back out) but you go out and as soon as you're somewhere that people can see you, it's automatic - you slap on a great big smile and act all excited because isn't today just the greatest day EVER?! That kind of mouse-washing sticks with you. But yeah, I've been totally faking it. Migraine city. Although I can't say I'd change anything, if it meant I had to not watch.
I do have one small complaint . . . okay, rant. *ahem*
NICK JONAS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! NICK FREAKING JONAS AS MARIUS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! JUST WHO'S TERRIBLE IDEA FOR CRAPPY STUNT CASTING WAS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUST . . . NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, don't get me wrong. The guy can sing. He does not have a terrible voice. But he also does not have a Broadway caliber voice. His boy band days have not been sufficient preparation to fill the shoes of the likes of Michael Ball. Not to mention he sticks out like a sore thumb. With everyone else, even if you know who they are the actor gets lost behind the part they play. It's Jean Valjean, played by Alfie Boe, Fantine, sung by Lea Salonga, for example. But no, this is a freaking JoBro attempting to play the part of Marius. Again - NO!
*sigh* Luke's heard that rant before, and he'll hear it again (especially if he insists on continuing to try to defend said poser JoBro). But I feel a bit better now.
The touring show is coming back to Salt Lake in May - another perfect birthday present. I'm literally aching to go. Dying to go. Brought up the idea repeatedly since discovering it was coming back in September when we went to Lion King. Of course, I'm sure tickets are long gone by now. But it's a little bit heartbreaking to know it's here - and for my birthday too! - and we're not going to able to go. Someday we will attend the theatre more often . . . yearly, maybe even more. But although things are much better than they were for us a couple of years ago, we are not to that point yet. So if get the impression that I'm in mourning during pretty much the entire month of May . . . yeah, I kind of am.
But hopefully I won't also be hungover.
P. ost S. cript
One of the encores from the concert - the original Valjean, the two currently playing him in London and New York, and the one who played him in the concert itself. Talk about chills . . . I don't think I breathed at all the first time I heard this! I won't ask for such an extreme reaction, but the person who is not moved by this song and especially this version - that person has no soul.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Being All Trendy
Have you ever thought about the evolution of trends? Especially internet trends. First there were the surveys that you spammed . . . I mean forwarded . . . to everyone you knew. Then it was myspace bulletins. Occasionally tagged facebook notes pop up all popular for about a day. And then there are the blog trends that sweep through every so often. And this one seems to have been done by such a very large chunk of my blogging pals that I just have to jump on the bandwagon before I'm just so pathetically and hopelessly ten-minutes-ago behind the times. Seriously, it just keeps popping up from someone new every few days or so.
Anyway. I'm puttin' iTunes on shuffle and you get to see what the first five to get shuffled are.
Or maybe I'll do ten. I'm kinda bored. Either way, you'll probably all end up knowing me a little bit better after this.
1. Bolero ~ Ravel
Lovely song, but I hate playing it. The cello part is 10% enjoyable, 90% insufferably dull.
2. All I Ask of You from Phantom
I would love this song even if I wasn't a Broadway junkie. Also: while I am a fan of Emmy Rossum, anyone who thinks Michael and Sarah can be topped should be drug out in the street and shot. (twenty points if you got the Garfield and Friends reference!)
3. Live Like You Were Dying ~ Tim McGraw
So growing up I was constantly going from loving country music to hating it because it was the only thing we were allowed to listen to. (Suffice it to say it was an interesting conversation my mother had with her 3 teenage/soon-to-be teenage daughters when she came home from work one day singing Backstreet Boys.) These days I like it, generally. This is one of those songs I fell in love with the first time I heard it. I bought the cd just for this song. (see also: this song. I have to blast it any time it comes on when I'm in the car. Sorry about the lame video, but the ensemble version is SOOOOOO much better IMO!!) Random note: I'm not much of a singer, but on good days I can hold that last note the whole time. It's quite the self esteem boost when it happens. :-)
4. Dancing Through Life from Wicked
I would just like to go on the record here and now and say that I loved Wicked before it was cool to love Wicked. I had this song memorized (and adopted as my theme song because, well, that was me) before almost anyone outside New York had even heard of the show. And now practically everyone and their dogs have seen it and I HAVE YET TO SEE THIS SHOW DANGIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There. I feel better now.
Anyway. Another fabulous song for singing along and blasting in the car. Have you ever gotten in a mood where you just need to hear a song, perhaps repeatedly? I played this one on repeat once driving back to school my senior year . . . from about Fillmore to Cedar. It made the endless drive a little quicker.
5. The Saga Begins ~ Weird Al Yankovic
It probably comes as no surprise that I love this song. It's pretty awesome. That said, this is the one I have as a ring tone.
Yeah, definitely doing ten. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride. (just because it sounds good to say)
6. Wannabe ~ Spice Girls
I think I originally liked this song just because it wasn't allowed at our house. Now it's got some real nostalgia power behind it - I was in SEVENTH GRADE when this song came out!
7. A Step Too Far from Aida
Holy crap, I adore Aida!! It's another one of those thoroughly sing-along-able shows where I know every word. While these guys are good and stuff . . . well, the girls are . . . (and the set is giving me some crazy flashbacks to doing Joseph in high school) allow to me recommend the OBC version which, obnoxiously, is un-embeddable.
8. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah from Song of the South
Well, it was inevitable that Disney would come up . . . even if it is only 9% of my music library. This was the first movie I ever saw in the theater. I was three, maybe four . . . I kinda sorta vaguely remember it. I think. Also: I am determined to hunt down a copy that will play on American DVD players. Eventually. Dude, you can't even find clips of the movie on youtube, but you can get the whole thing in Europe? LAME!! (Side note: remind me to tell you all sometime about the time a duck attacked me while I was on Splash Mountain. I smell a Saturday Morning post!)
9. A New Hope and End Credits ~ John Williams
So the one that popped up happened to be Revenge of the Sith. But yes, I have all the soundtracks. As well as the two volume John Williams Greatest Hits. Because John Williams is the man. Even if he is brass heavy. Because you know what? Those little double (and triple when you're really lucky!) f's on your sheet music make even the lamest drumbeat of a part more fun to play. :-)
10. Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
Oooh, yeah, let's end with a classic. Another song I didn't discover until much later than most people would say I should have, but I'm a definite fan. I kind of prefer this version, but I may be a little biased since I am, you know, the camera person. Ahh, the good old days of being a designated driver at Disney.
Bonus pick from me, not the shuffle: The Cheat is Not Dead ~ Strongbad
Okay, so I know this is actually, like, song 15 or something . . . but it's such a fun song. We actually made it the final song at our reception. It was awesome.
You know, that was actually a relatively balanced shuffle . . . which is odd because my iTunes seriously gets into some very genre specific moods. Which is obnoxious when it's in a different mood than I am but I still want to keep it on all music. But this . . . pretty much sums up who I am. Well . . . not completely . . . but you get what I mean. I hope . . .
Maybe I'll do some genre-split first fives sometime . . .
P. ost S. cript
Are you all video'd out yet? If you're not, here are some adorable baby duckies blown all asunder. They are glass-breaking-squeal cute!
Anyway. I'm puttin' iTunes on shuffle and you get to see what the first five to get shuffled are.
Or maybe I'll do ten. I'm kinda bored. Either way, you'll probably all end up knowing me a little bit better after this.
1. Bolero ~ Ravel
Lovely song, but I hate playing it. The cello part is 10% enjoyable, 90% insufferably dull.
2. All I Ask of You from Phantom
I would love this song even if I wasn't a Broadway junkie. Also: while I am a fan of Emmy Rossum, anyone who thinks Michael and Sarah can be topped should be drug out in the street and shot. (twenty points if you got the Garfield and Friends reference!)
3. Live Like You Were Dying ~ Tim McGraw
So growing up I was constantly going from loving country music to hating it because it was the only thing we were allowed to listen to. (Suffice it to say it was an interesting conversation my mother had with her 3 teenage/soon-to-be teenage daughters when she came home from work one day singing Backstreet Boys.) These days I like it, generally. This is one of those songs I fell in love with the first time I heard it. I bought the cd just for this song. (see also: this song. I have to blast it any time it comes on when I'm in the car. Sorry about the lame video, but the ensemble version is SOOOOOO much better IMO!!) Random note: I'm not much of a singer, but on good days I can hold that last note the whole time. It's quite the self esteem boost when it happens. :-)
4. Dancing Through Life from Wicked
I would just like to go on the record here and now and say that I loved Wicked before it was cool to love Wicked. I had this song memorized (and adopted as my theme song because, well, that was me) before almost anyone outside New York had even heard of the show. And now practically everyone and their dogs have seen it and I HAVE YET TO SEE THIS SHOW DANGIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There. I feel better now.
Anyway. Another fabulous song for singing along and blasting in the car. Have you ever gotten in a mood where you just need to hear a song, perhaps repeatedly? I played this one on repeat once driving back to school my senior year . . . from about Fillmore to Cedar. It made the endless drive a little quicker.
5. The Saga Begins ~ Weird Al Yankovic
It probably comes as no surprise that I love this song. It's pretty awesome. That said, this is the one I have as a ring tone.
Yeah, definitely doing ten. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride. (just because it sounds good to say)
6. Wannabe ~ Spice Girls
I think I originally liked this song just because it wasn't allowed at our house. Now it's got some real nostalgia power behind it - I was in SEVENTH GRADE when this song came out!
7. A Step Too Far from Aida
Holy crap, I adore Aida!! It's another one of those thoroughly sing-along-able shows where I know every word. While these guys are good and stuff . . . well, the girls are . . . (and the set is giving me some crazy flashbacks to doing Joseph in high school) allow to me recommend the OBC version which, obnoxiously, is un-embeddable.
8. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah from Song of the South
Well, it was inevitable that Disney would come up . . . even if it is only 9% of my music library. This was the first movie I ever saw in the theater. I was three, maybe four . . . I kinda sorta vaguely remember it. I think. Also: I am determined to hunt down a copy that will play on American DVD players. Eventually. Dude, you can't even find clips of the movie on youtube, but you can get the whole thing in Europe? LAME!! (Side note: remind me to tell you all sometime about the time a duck attacked me while I was on Splash Mountain. I smell a Saturday Morning post!)
9. A New Hope and End Credits ~ John Williams
So the one that popped up happened to be Revenge of the Sith. But yes, I have all the soundtracks. As well as the two volume John Williams Greatest Hits. Because John Williams is the man. Even if he is brass heavy. Because you know what? Those little double (and triple when you're really lucky!) f's on your sheet music make even the lamest drumbeat of a part more fun to play. :-)
10. Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
Oooh, yeah, let's end with a classic. Another song I didn't discover until much later than most people would say I should have, but I'm a definite fan. I kind of prefer this version, but I may be a little biased since I am, you know, the camera person. Ahh, the good old days of being a designated driver at Disney.
Bonus pick from me, not the shuffle: The Cheat is Not Dead ~ Strongbad
Okay, so I know this is actually, like, song 15 or something . . . but it's such a fun song. We actually made it the final song at our reception. It was awesome.
You know, that was actually a relatively balanced shuffle . . . which is odd because my iTunes seriously gets into some very genre specific moods. Which is obnoxious when it's in a different mood than I am but I still want to keep it on all music. But this . . . pretty much sums up who I am. Well . . . not completely . . . but you get what I mean. I hope . . .
Maybe I'll do some genre-split first fives sometime . . .
P. ost S. cript
Are you all video'd out yet? If you're not, here are some adorable baby duckies blown all asunder. They are glass-breaking-squeal cute!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Can You Get Any More Cliched?
Okay, I'll admit it. I like "girly" music. Kelly Clarkson? Yep. Carrie Underwood? You betcha! < / Sarah Palin voice > Taylor Swift? I'm a junkie. Wicked? Dude, I was obsessed with Wicked before it was cool . . . at least, before it was cool with all the non-Broadway-junkies. But I am NOTHING compared to the girl who lives above (previously next door to) us and, apparently, has even less of a life than I do.
It started the last week we were upstairs. The semester had just ended, and people were moving out/in for the summer. Woot. So there we are, in our bedroom watching a movie, when we hear music from next door. No big problem, the walls aren't exactly thick, and it's faint, unlike the music the guys on the groundfloor tended to blast from their cars in the parking lot. You know the type - nothing but a beat, and the bass cranked up to higher than the knob even goes. I kid you not, the windows of our THIRD FLOOR apartment rattled from this music three stories below, and on the opposite side of the building. Not cool. But I digress.
So the music we hear from next door is "Defying Gravity" from the aforementioned Wicked. A fellow showtunes fan, sweet! But then . . . she sings along with it. Loud enough that we can hear her singing too. Now, I'll admit, I'm not exactly American Idol material (except maybe for the audition/humiliation episodes, whoch are the only ones I watch), but I can more or less carry a tune, and I know a decent voice when I hear one. And this is not a decent voice. The really annoying thing is, it isn't a bad one either. It's just one of those "always about a quarter step off the note", but at least consistently off instead of "all over the place tone deaf." If she were that bad, I probably would have punctured my ear drums by now. Because she plays her music ALL. THE. TIME. That wouldn't be so bad, heck, even her singing wouldn't be so bad if she had a more expansive playlist. But this is one itunes library in desperate need of some help. Going back to the first night of this minor horror, I'll admit I was a little psyched to get to listen to Wicked, if only as background noise. But . . . no. *sad face* We heard "Defying Gravity" over. And over. And over. And over. And over. I'd guess at least twenty times that night.
Now at the time, I tried to be a little forgiving. I know what it is to be in the mood, so to speak, for a song. Heaven knows I've played more than one song on repeat for an hour or more in my time. But that was two weeks ago, and I haven't heard another song from Wicked yet. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! LAME!!!!! Sure, "Defying Gravity" is a great song . . . but it's a poser song, if you will. It's the one song EVERYBODY knows. It's like those people who see a director's biggest movie and then go around talking like a film snob, "Oh yes, the cinematography in Citizen Kane was just breathtaking." *sip tea with pinking up* "And next week we're going to spend some time at our second home in the Hamptons, aren't we darling?" (on a completely unrelated note, you should hear Luke do a snob-voice. He has it to a "t"!) I'm mean, come on. You want good Wicked music? Try "No One Mourns the Wicked," "Not That Girl," or my personal top three tracks, "As Long As You're Mine," "For Good," and "Dancing Through Life" - now there's a song I can play on repeat all day! You want good Broadway? Why aren't you playing Little Women or Cabaret or Les Mis? Forget the feel-good-girly-power-ballad.
Thankfully, she does have more than one song on her playlist. Sadly, I can name every song I've ever heard coming from upstairs . . . mostly because I've heard them all more times than I care to think about since she's moved in. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the List of Shame:
Defying Gravity (definitely played the most)
I Told You So
Just a Dream (both by Carrie Underwood)
Since U Been Gone
Because of You
Behind These Hazel Eyes
A Moment Like This (all kelly Clarkson)
Love Story
Our Song
Teardrops on My Guitar
Should've Said No (all Taylor Swift)
There are a couple of others in there, but I can't think of them at the moment. But surely you can see the trend they follow? Seriously. As Luke puts it, could there be any more stereotypical high school/college aged-girl music? I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, I like all of these songs. But where is the variety? She's even missing some of the good songs by these artists, like "Before He Cheats" and "Picture To Burn" . . . what's up with that?! Again - LAME! Not to mention the fact . . . well, I could name tons of artists she's missing. And seeing as our tastes coincide at least a little, I think she'd like them. But . . . no. Just . . . no. not going there. I'm sure these songs were all carefully handpicked because they are completely unobjectionable and church-dance appropriate. "As Long As You're Mine" would probably scandalize the poor thing. But I swear, one of these days, I am going to point my stereo speakers at the ceiling and blast Aerosmith or Bowling for Soup for, like, an hour. After all, college is about expanding your horizons, isn't it? *evil laugh*
It started the last week we were upstairs. The semester had just ended, and people were moving out/in for the summer. Woot. So there we are, in our bedroom watching a movie, when we hear music from next door. No big problem, the walls aren't exactly thick, and it's faint, unlike the music the guys on the groundfloor tended to blast from their cars in the parking lot. You know the type - nothing but a beat, and the bass cranked up to higher than the knob even goes. I kid you not, the windows of our THIRD FLOOR apartment rattled from this music three stories below, and on the opposite side of the building. Not cool. But I digress.
So the music we hear from next door is "Defying Gravity" from the aforementioned Wicked. A fellow showtunes fan, sweet! But then . . . she sings along with it. Loud enough that we can hear her singing too. Now, I'll admit, I'm not exactly American Idol material (except maybe for the audition/humiliation episodes, whoch are the only ones I watch), but I can more or less carry a tune, and I know a decent voice when I hear one. And this is not a decent voice. The really annoying thing is, it isn't a bad one either. It's just one of those "always about a quarter step off the note", but at least consistently off instead of "all over the place tone deaf." If she were that bad, I probably would have punctured my ear drums by now. Because she plays her music ALL. THE. TIME. That wouldn't be so bad, heck, even her singing wouldn't be so bad if she had a more expansive playlist. But this is one itunes library in desperate need of some help. Going back to the first night of this minor horror, I'll admit I was a little psyched to get to listen to Wicked, if only as background noise. But . . . no. *sad face* We heard "Defying Gravity" over. And over. And over. And over. And over. I'd guess at least twenty times that night.
Now at the time, I tried to be a little forgiving. I know what it is to be in the mood, so to speak, for a song. Heaven knows I've played more than one song on repeat for an hour or more in my time. But that was two weeks ago, and I haven't heard another song from Wicked yet. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! LAME!!!!! Sure, "Defying Gravity" is a great song . . . but it's a poser song, if you will. It's the one song EVERYBODY knows. It's like those people who see a director's biggest movie and then go around talking like a film snob, "Oh yes, the cinematography in Citizen Kane was just breathtaking." *sip tea with pinking up* "And next week we're going to spend some time at our second home in the Hamptons, aren't we darling?" (on a completely unrelated note, you should hear Luke do a snob-voice. He has it to a "t"!) I'm mean, come on. You want good Wicked music? Try "No One Mourns the Wicked," "Not That Girl," or my personal top three tracks, "As Long As You're Mine," "For Good," and "Dancing Through Life" - now there's a song I can play on repeat all day! You want good Broadway? Why aren't you playing Little Women or Cabaret or Les Mis? Forget the feel-good-girly-power-ballad.
Thankfully, she does have more than one song on her playlist. Sadly, I can name every song I've ever heard coming from upstairs . . . mostly because I've heard them all more times than I care to think about since she's moved in. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the List of Shame:
Defying Gravity (definitely played the most)
I Told You So
Just a Dream (both by Carrie Underwood)
Since U Been Gone
Because of You
Behind These Hazel Eyes
A Moment Like This (all kelly Clarkson)
Love Story
Our Song
Teardrops on My Guitar
Should've Said No (all Taylor Swift)
There are a couple of others in there, but I can't think of them at the moment. But surely you can see the trend they follow? Seriously. As Luke puts it, could there be any more stereotypical high school/college aged-girl music? I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, I like all of these songs. But where is the variety? She's even missing some of the good songs by these artists, like "Before He Cheats" and "Picture To Burn" . . . what's up with that?! Again - LAME! Not to mention the fact . . . well, I could name tons of artists she's missing. And seeing as our tastes coincide at least a little, I think she'd like them. But . . . no. Just . . . no. not going there. I'm sure these songs were all carefully handpicked because they are completely unobjectionable and church-dance appropriate. "As Long As You're Mine" would probably scandalize the poor thing. But I swear, one of these days, I am going to point my stereo speakers at the ceiling and blast Aerosmith or Bowling for Soup for, like, an hour. After all, college is about expanding your horizons, isn't it? *evil laugh*
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